Lazy Admiration–Newsletter 013

Hard Questioner: So you like Carlos’ bread?

S. A.: Yes. Its natural. I mean, it contains no chemical ingredients like preservatives, mould inhibitors and others to keep freshness.

H. Q.: Oh! Aren’t chemical additives OK? Without them bread would have a very short shelf life.

S. A.: Yupe! That’s the reason why Carlos’ bread is not sold in supermarkets.

H. Q.: I don’t quite understand.

S. A.: Those chemical additives are designed to kill fungus and bacteria and are very effective. You can have a loaf at room temperature in a plastic bag in your house for many days without getting mouldy or fermented.

H. Q.: So. . . ?

S. A.: The problem is: The same way they kill fungus and bacteria, in the long run they will kill you, ‘cause they are nothing but poisons.

H. Q.: Scary!

S. A.: It is, indeed.

Carlos’ bread instead, is made only with classical ingredients: wheat; rye; salt; oil; a bit of sugar and yeast in different proportions according to the kind of bread. Moreover, its process is the old fashion one, giving the dough the time to mature naturally without any chemical improver. Also it is baked at a lower temperature and for a longer time than commercial bread, to ensure the proper cooking of the whole piece, especially in the center. This ensures that all yeast cells are killed by the heat and the crumb will not produce fermentation in your intestines.

H. Q.: Wow! What about your husband and your children: Do they like this kind of natural bread?

S. A.: Yes, they do.

H. Q.: It means that now you have the best bread in miles around. That’s amazing! How many loaves do you order a week to cover the needs of your family and especially of your children?

S. A.: Well. . . So far I placed two orders one loaf each in different weeks .

H. Q.: Being amazed about the bread will be of no help if you do not eat it.

S. A.: Yes. . . I hate “Fakeone” bread, but, you know, my mother used to by it when I was a little girl riding on the shopping cart, and now I am doing the same. I can’t help it! When I shop in the supermarket I can’t stop my hand from grabbing a loaf of “FakeOne” or “WouldBe” or “MakeBelieve” bread.

H. Q.: Maybe you see those brands are cheaper.

S. A.: Yeah, they look cheaper, but are empty of nutrition values and containing real poisons. So, at the end of the day, they are very expensive.

H. Q.: In other words, you pay less but you obtain less.

S. A.: Considering the benefits of a natural bread I cannot consider it as a luxury item. Apparently you spend more, but you’ll save much money in the future by enjoying a better life and health.

H. Q.: So. . . What’s wrong with you then?

S. A.: Hard to explain what I don’t quite understand myself. I tried to put Carlos’ bread in front of my children for breakfast, but, you know! That seemed so strange to me. I’ve never done that before. My children looked at me with blank faces.

H. Q.: Don’t your children like the natural bread?

S. A.: Oh, yes, they do.

H. Q.: Then, what?

S. A.: Well. . . I think I have to do something more than put a good bread on my table. I had also to stop using candy cereal; lots of sugar and sugary stuff; potato chips; cookies; canned meats and so on.

H. Q.: And your natural bread looks kind of ridiculous among the junk food. Nonetheless you have to start somewhere. Then you can change other items one by one in a slow pace as your family change their habits.

S. A.:You are right.

H. Q.: If your admiration doesn’t lead you to take action, is good for nothing. Lazy admiration is useless.

S. A.: Lazy admiration is useless. You’re right. Natural bread will be good to me and my family only if we eat it.

H. Q.: If the bread is good, go for it!

S. A.: Yes, I’ll try. . . It will take time and effort. It’s not only about bread. I have to clean my table of a bunch of junky items. Breaking old habits to start new ones is no easy job. But it is not impossible. And the change will have great rewards.

_______________________

Carlos’ Artisanal Bakery
Newsletter 013
October 20th, 2016

A Bible jewel for today:“The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace”.
Numbers 6:24-26

A new Order and Pick Up location!

Yes! Now, in addition to my house, you have a new location to place your order and pick up your bread. That is Sheila Brown’s store on Catherine Street.

Ingredients list in commercial breadVegetable Monoglycerides
This additive is classified as non toxic if added in small quantities.
Is used in great scale breadmaking to prevent oil separation, to increase the loaf volume and to retard staling.

When the dough is given the enough time to mature, there is no need of this product.

In commercial great scale breadmaking the dough is given no time to mature.

-Oil and water have no time to penetrate the tiny particles of the flour and are exposed to separation. Separated oil gives the crumb a darker colour.

-The dough, when just mixed and kneaded is very weak. Bakers say: the dough is “young”. Cannot keep the shape and develops a low volume piece. The crumb is dense and coarse. A dough naturally matured after a few hours of resting and fermenting, is a “strong” dough, able to keep a shape and to develop volume and a nice texture.

-Unmatured dough had no time to absorb the water completely and keeps absorbing after baking. That’s the reason why cheap bread (sold in many bakeries) dries so quickly. My breads take about 666g of water for every kilogram of flour to make a soft dough. Cheap “french” or “italian” dinner rolls or baguettes sold in bakeries take no much more than 500g of water for every kilogram of flour to make a very stiff dough, appropriate to work in makeup machines. That kind of bread looks nice the first day. By the second day it is hard like a rock.

Supermarket breads are made with a higher proportion of water and in a fast process. Avoiding oil and water separation becomes important to keep a good looking appearance.

My dough cannot be processed in makeup machines because they are too soft and make a big mess in the machine. Good bread has to be made up by hand or in specialized machines.

Moreover, for the same reasons natural bread does not stale so quickly. In older times, our great grandmother used to bake only once a week for all the seven following days. At the end of the week the bread had become dry, but still edible (reheated or toasted).Calcium Propionate
This additive is classified as “slightly” toxic; which means that it will not kill you immediately but in a long term, little by little.

Uses
Calcium Propionate is used in bread sold in supermarkets as a mold inhibitor.
This kind of bread retains much water in the crumb in order to look fresh for a longer time (a loaf of bread like the one in the picture could sit 10 days on a supermarket shelf looking fresh like the first day).

It is used, as well, as a fungicide in fruit trees.

The reason to use this product in bread is to reduce or eliminate waste due to a short shelf life. Has nothing to do with the bread itself but with commercial interest. Producers and resellers do good business and you pay the price with your health.

Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate

This additive is classified as non toxic in small amounts and used in many food products.

It is used in bread as an emulsifier, to prevent oil and water separation and to keep moisture in the crumb.

Again, there is no need of this additive in natural bread. Oil and water do not separate in a well kneaded and rested dough because they are totally absorbed by the particles of the four.

In natural bread–when properly stored–the moisture remains for a long time in the crumb. Natural bread doesn’t stale overnight.

Sorbic Acid
Is considered as non toxic when used in food. Could cause lung, eye and skin irritation if it comes in contact with them.

In bread is used as mold inhibitor. Has nothing to do with the bread itself but with the pocket of producers and resellers.

Natural bread doesn’t need this “non toxic” additive, because it contains already–especially in sourdough bread–a small amount of lactic acid produced in the fermentation process which helps keep mould, and bacteria away.

Lactic acid is the same that gives the typical sour taste to yogurt. You can keep yogurt in the fridge for many days in perfect condition. Natural yogurt doesn’t need any preservative or mould inhibitor to be kept for many days. Lactic acid is the natural preservative.

In my breads I welcome lactic acid from fermentation but I don’t want acetic acid to develop. Acetic acid is vinegar and gives the bread a vinegary taste which I dislike. Acetic bread is no good for health. I add tiny amounts of yeast to my sourdough fermenting mix in order to keep acetic acid away and control the lactic acid from coming to an excess. This is the same effect of adding fruits like apples or raisins to the fermenting rye, as done for centuries, but made simpler.